Chain pipe cover



June 5, 1951 E. KRoGsTAD ETAL 2,555,696

CHAIN PIPE COVER Filed May 17, 1950 ATTORNEY:

Patented June 5, 1951 CHAIN PIPE COVER Edward L. Krogstad and George B. Lockwood,

Staten Island, N. Y., assignors to Lockstad Company, Wilnington, Del., a corporation of Dela- Application May 17, 1950, Serial No. 162,498

2 Claims. V l This invention relates to a water-tight cover for sealing the chain pipe or spill pipe to the chain locker on a ship.

Unless the chain pipe is sealed, the chain locker is likely to be flooded when the ship encounters rough seas. When the chain locker' is flooded, water finds its way into the upper and lower forward peak causing damage to stores and equipment. These store rooms together with the chain locker have a capacity for tons of water that cause the ship to plow under with consequent loss of time, waste of fuel oil and increase in the operating expenses of the trip.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved water-tight seal for closing the chain pipe,V and particularly to provide a simple and which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

`Figure 1 is a top plan view of a chain pipe cover embodying this invention;

' Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the chain pipe cover shown in Figure 1;

l'igure 3 is a Sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 and showing the cover in place on a chain pipe with the anchor chain holding the cover in position;

3d Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan View showingalclasp for holding portions of the cover clamped together;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation showing the structure by which the opposite halves of the cover are pivotally connected at their rearward ends; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the cover in use.

The chain pipe cover of this invention is made in two halves comprising a right-hand platelll and a left-hand plate ll. The plates IB and Il have Confronting faces that come together along a line `l3, but there are complementary recesses IB and l1 extending along a portion of the length of the confronting faces; and these recesses IB and l1 form a slot ,IB when the two halves of the chain pipe cover are in assembled relation with one another.

The slot [8 has a width equal to the width of the respective chain links and the length of the slot l8 is slightly greater than the outside dimension of a chain link measured along the minor axis of the link. This extra length of the slot l8, in excess of theminor axis, permits the chain link 20 to occupy a sloping position in the slot I8, as shown in Figure 3. When a link* 20 of a stud-link chain is located in the Slot l8 and in the position ilustrated, it substantially fills the slot and prevents leakage of water through the slot IB into a chain pipe 2i located below the cover 9.

The cover 9` has a frame or ring 23 extending downward from its bottom face, and each half of the cover is connected wit half of the ring 23. There is a gasket 25, preferably made of rubber or other soft sealing material, connected to the bottom face of the cover, 9 immediately outside of the ring 213. This gasket, as well as the ring 23, are divided along the same line l3 as the halves of the cover so as not to interfere with the separation of the plates Ill and ll.

The gasket 25 rests upon an annular lip 21 at the upper end of the chain pipe 2 I. The cover 9 is held against lateral displacement by having the ring 23 deeper than the gaskets 25 so that the ring 23 extends down beyond the upper end of the lip 21. The outside diameter of the ring 23 is substantially smaller than the inside diameter of the opening that is surrounded by the lip 21, but not enough smaller to let the cover shift lateraly into a position where any arc of the lip is no longer covered by the gasket 25.

When the cover 9 is held down firmly against the lip 21, the gasket 25 provides a seal that prevents water from flowing into the chain pipe around the lip 21. The ring 23 is merely representative of either a frame or other abutment extending down within the lip 21 for preventing transverse displacement of the cover on the chain pipe, and it wll be evident that a plurality of disconnected abutments can be used in place of the ring. In the preferred construction, however, the ring 23 extends without interruption along the entire inner face of the gasket 25 and thus provides protection for the gasket.

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the cover 9 and shows bars or ribs 3I, 32 extending along the underside of the plates IU and H, respectively, parallel to the confronting faces of the plates the corresponding.

- 3 and located close to the edges of the slot I8. These ribs are integral with the plates ll] and ll, and may be welded to the plates or cast integral with the plates when the latter are made by casting. The ribs 3l, 32 provide additional strength and prevent the plates from bending when they are pressed down against the end of the chain pipe while in use.

The plateslO and ll are made so that they can -be hinged together at their rearward ends, but with a hinge connection that can be easily taken apart when the plates are removed from the end of the chain pipe. In the construction illustrated, a button or stud 35extends upward from the plate ll, and there is a bracket or extension 36, of the plate IO, with a socket that fits over the stud 35, When the plates are 'assembled with the stud 35 engaged in the socket of the bracket 36, the plates are pivotally connected for angular movement about an aXis that is normal to the top faces of the plates.

At their forward ends, the plates IU and Il are clamped together by a link 38 which is connected with a handle 39 by a pivot 40. The handle 39 is connected with the plate Ill of the cover, by a pin 42 extending through a bracket at the end of the plate. The link 38 engages a hook 43 that projects from the plate H, and that is integral with the plate i l.

. The dimensions of the parts are proportioned so that the handle 39 draws the link 38 against the hook 43 and tightly clamps the plates Ill and II against the chain .link bythe time that the handle 39 has moved into line with the link 38. The handle 39 is capable of moving slightly further in a counterclockwise direction so as to shift the pivot 40 to the right of the line along Which thelink 38 exerts its clamping pressure. lThis relieves the clamping pressure slightly but has the advantage of utilizing the pressure to hold the handle 39 in clamping position. In order to release the plates ll] and ll, -the handle 39 is turned angularly about the pin 42 in a clockwise direction until the link 38` has moved far enough to swing clear of the hook 43.

Figure 6 shows the plates clamped together by the link 38 engaged over the hook 43. The cover is held down firmly against the chain pipe by a chain link 45 which has its lower end in contact with the plates IO and l of the cover, as shown in elevation in Figure 3. The lower chain link 20 is clamped in the slot between the cover' plates lil and ll.

When the cover is to be put in place for sealing the chain pipe at thebeginning of a voyage, the anchors are first hoisted tight to the shipls side and secured with devils claw and turnbuckle. The link of the chain which is to extend through the cover 9, that is, the link 20 in Figures 3 and 6, is then marked. The anchor chain is backed off about one length by means of the chain winch so as to conveniently install the cover 9 in place around the link 20 and over the upper end of the chain pipe 2l which leads 'to the chain locker.

' The two plates IO and H of the cover are hinged together by placing the bracket 36 over the stud 35 and the plates are clamped together, with the marked link 20 within the slot 18, by operating the handle 39. The anchor chain is then pulled tight again by the winch so that the weight of the link 45, and the weight of the other links hanging in the chain pipe from the link 20, hold the cover in place with enough downward thrust to maintain a water-tight joint between the lip 21 of the chain pipe and the plates of the cover.

The chain pipe 2l shown in the drawing has the lip 21 at its upper end at a level slightly above a deck 46. In actual practice the section of the deck through which the chain pipe opens is obstructed by adjoining structure, such as the frames for supporting the anchor winches, and there is very little space for swinging the plates of the cover into or out of position. It is a distinct advantage of this invention that the cover plates IO and Il can be removed, and replaced without swinging them angularly for any substantial distance about their hinged connection.

The construction illustrated with the slot |8 for the chain links, is intended for chains having stud links with which the stud portion of the clamped link prevents the flow of water through the center portion of the slot I8. When the cover is made for anchor chains having open links, the slot [8 is not used and each of the plates IU and ll is made with two spaced recesses that cooperate to form substantially circular openings of a cross section to fit around the opposite sides of the link which is clamped between the plates.

Various changes and modifications in the illustrated construction can be made without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A chain pipe cover for closing the upper end of a chain pipe that leads to a chain locker of a ship and through which an anchor chain passes, said cover including two plates, each of which is adapted to cover substantially one-half of the open end of the chain pipe, complementary hinge elements on the respective plates connecting the plates together for angular movement with respect to one another about an axis normal to the top surfaces of the plates, clamping means that hold the plates together at their forward ends with a link of an anchor chain clamped between the plates, abutment means extending downward from the plates, the effective diameter of said abutment means being somewhat less than the inside .diameter of the entrance to the chain pipe with which the cover is intended to be used, and a gasket connected to the underside of each plate and located immediately outside of said abutment means.

2. A chain pipe cover for closing the upper end of a chain pipe that leads to a chain locker o-f a lship and through which an anchor chain passes,

said cover including two halves, each of which comprises a plate having a -downwardly yextending fiange of an effective radius substantially less than the effective inside radius of a chain pipe with which the cover is intended to be.used, a

a handle pivotally connected with the other plateV and carrying a link that engages the hook on the first mentioned plate to pull them together, the parts being so proportioned that the handle moves beyond the center line of the pull and is held in place by the pressure of the link against the hook, said plates having confronting faces,

that meet along a center line of the coverv and said confronting faces having recesses therein for receiving a link of an anchor chain, and ribs extending downward from the bottom faces of the plates substantially parallel to the confronting faces and at a location adjacent the inner 2,555,696 A.5 edges of the recesses for braoing the plates against bending along said confronting faces.

Number EDWARD L. KROGSTAD. 2 466 549 GEORGE B. LOCKWOOD.

5 REFERENCES CITED Number The following references are of record in the 28,561 file of this patent: 12,128

6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Landine Apr. 5, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain of 1910 Great Britain of 1913 

